Apostolic  Ministry, 
by 
Rev. P. J. Murdoch.  1882 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 

Transferred  from  the  Department 
of  Archives  and  History 

Cp?83.09 

L74m 


THE 


J^OSTOLIC -VlffNISTRY. 


fe7. 


Apostolic  Ministry. 

THK  SUBSTANCE  OF 

A  SERMON  PREACHED  IN  ST.  LUKE'S  CHURCH, 
LINCOLNTON,  N.  C,  MARCH  5th,  1882, 

BY  THE 

REV.  F.  J.  MURDOCH, 


AT  THE  ORDINATION  OF  REV.  W.  S.  BYNUM  TO  THE 
PRIESTHOOD. 


PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  TRACT  SOCIETY, 
12  Astor  Place,  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


I  claim  no  other  merit  for  this  sermon  than 
that  it  expresses  plainly  what  I  believe  to  he  the 
truth.  It  has  been  written  out  for  publication  in 
deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  Bishop  of  North 
Carolina  and  some  of  the  clergy  who  heard  it. 

F.  J.  M. 


SERMON. 


"  He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  me  ?  Peter  was  grieved  because  He  said  unto 
him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said  unto 
him,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  all  things  ;  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  Thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep." — St. 
John  21  :  17. 

We  learn  more  from  the  writings  of  St.  Paul,  and 
especially  from  his  Pastoral  Epistles,  concerning 
the  three  distinct  orders  of  the  ministry  and  their 
relations  to  each  other,  than  from  all  the  rest  of 
the  New  Testament  together.  But  yet  it  is  to  the 
words  of  our  blessed  Lord  Himself  that  we  must 
go  to  obtain  an  adequate  notion  of  the  office,  the 
authority,  the  power,  and  the  supreme  motive  of  a 
good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

I  do  not  purpose  to  confine  myself,  this  morn- 
ing, to  the  words  of  the  text  (I  have  chosen  them 
to  give  emphasis  to  but  one  point  in  this  dis- 
course) ;  but  I  intend  to  review  briefly  what  our 
Lord  did  with  reference  to  the  ministry  of  the 
twelve  Apostles,  and  thence  to  point  out  the 
things  essential  to  the  office  and  work  of  a  faith- 
ful minister  of  God. 

5 


6 


In  St.  Mark's  Gospel  we  read  that  our  Lord, 
after  a  night  spent  in  prayer,  when  it 
Luke  6: 12.  wag  day  "  ealleth  unto  Him  whom  He 
Mark3:13&14  would :  and  they  came  unto  Him. 
And  He  ordained  twelve  that  they 
should  be  with  Him,  and  that  He  might  send 
them  forth  to  preach,"  and  to  minister  to  the  sick 
according  to  the  ability  that  should  be  given  to 
them.  Here  let  us  notice  three  things  :  1st.  A 
person  having  authority  to  appoint  ministers  in 
the  kingdom  of  God,  the  person  in  this  case  being 
our  Lord  Himself.  2d.  That  He  actually  called 
certain  persons,  inviting  them  to  become  His  min- 
isters. 3d.  That  on  their  obeying  that  call  (for 
we  read  that  "they  came  unto  Him"),  He  or- 
dained them,  and  thus  conferred  on  them  the 
proffered  office.  On  a  subsequent  occasion  we 
read  that  He  enlarged  their  office,  or,  to  use  the 
language  of  theology,  He  raised  them,  or  at  least 
eleven  of  them,  to  a  higher  order  of  the  ministry, 
when  He  gave  them  the  authority  to  offer  the  per- 
petual memorial  of  His  one  sacrifice,  once  offered 
upon  the  cross — the  power  to  present 
before  God  that  "  pure  offering "  spoken 
of  by  the  prophet.  Yet  again  He  raised  them  to 
the  highest  office  of  the  ministry  when 
Luke  6: 13.      He  actliayiy  made  tnem  Apostles— the 

name  had  been  given  to  them   before 
John  20: 22      by    anticipation — saying    unto    them, 
&  23.         a  Receiye  ye  the  Holy  Ghost :  whoseso- 
ever sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them  ; 


and  whosesoever  sins  ye  shall   retain,   they  are 

retained  ;  "  and  "  As  my  Father  hath 

sent  me,  even  so  I  send  you. "     Thus     John  20 :  21. 

the   final   enlargement  of  their   office, 

the  highest  order  of  the  ministry,  was  given  to 

them. 

Next  let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  over  what  per- 
sons, or  within  what  local  limits,  these  ministers 
were  to  exercise  the  authority  given  them.     At 
first  they  were,  it  seems,  to  minister  only  in  or 
near  His  immediate   presence.     "  He 
ordained    them   that   they   should    be 
with  Him."     Afterward  He  sent  them 
forth,  but  only  to  "the  lost  sheep  of  Matt  10.5&6< 
the   house   of   Israel."     But   after  He 
rose  from  the  dead  He  enlarged  the  field  of  their 
labors,  saying  unto  them,  "Go  and  make  disciples 
of  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,      Mat&jg.:19 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them 
to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  command- 
ed you."     Thus   their  jurisdiction  was  given  to 
them. 

These  ministers,  then,  had  been  called  ;  the  of- 
fice of  Apostleship,  with  its  appropriate  authority, 
had  been  conferred  upon  them  ;  their  jurisdiction 
had  been  assigned  to  them.  Was  any  thing  more 
needed  ?  Yes.  They  needed  power  from  on  high  ; 
power  that  would  enable  them  to  accomplish  that 
which  mere  men  could  not  do  ;  power  to  preach 
the  Gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from 


heaven.  This  power  was  promised  them  when  our 
Lord  said,  "  But  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high." 
This  power  was  actually  given  them  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost. 

Had  they  not  all  things  now  that  they  needed  ? 
Might  they  not  now  go  forth  to  preach  ?  One 
thing  more  they  needed.  They  needed  a  motive 
— a  motive  sufficient  to  impel  them  to  do  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  Without  an  adequate  motive 
they  would  not  labor  at  all,  or  at  least  the  wheels 
of  their  chariots  would  move  but  heavily.  What 
shall  this  motive  be  ?  Nothing  but  the  love  of 
JESUS  will  suffice.  "  He  saith  unto  Him  the 
third  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ? 
Peter  was  grieved  because  He  said  unto  him  the 
third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  and  he  said  to  Him, 
Lord,  Thou  knowest  all  things  ;  Thou  knowest 
that  I  love  Thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my 
sheep.'' 

The  points,  then,  to  which  I  will  direct  your  at- 
tention this  morning  are  :  first,  the  person  by 
whom  men  are  called  and  ordained  to  the  minis- 
try ;  and,  second,  with  regard  to  the  ministers 
themselves,  we  will  consider  their  call,  their  ordi- 
nation to  office,  their  jurisdiction,  their  power, 
and  their  ruling  motive — that  is,  the  love  of  Jesus. 
Inasmuch  as  a  consideration  of  the  first  point  will 
touch  incidentally  on  some  of  the  other  things 
mentioned,  I  shall  speak  more  briefly  when  I  come 
to  them. 


The  happy  agreement  of  all  Christians  for  fif- 
teen centuries,  and  the  almost  unanimous  consent 
of  all  now,  who  profess  the  name  of  Christ,  that 
our  Lord  instituted  a  ministry  in  His  Church,  and 
willed  that  this  ministry  should  continue  until  the 
end  of  the  world,  relieve  me  of  the  necessity  of 
arguing  this  point.  Let  it  suffice  to  say,  that  this 
belief  is  well  warranted  in  Holy  Scripture.  Our 
Lord  promised  to  be  with  the  Apostles 

Matt  28 

all  the  days,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world,  to  enable  them  to  make  disciples  of  all 
nations,  and  to  teach  them  after  they  had  been 
received  into  the  Church  by  Holy  Baptism.  Now, 
inasmuch  as  the  original  Apostles  are  no  longer 
on  earth  to  preach,  baptize,  and  govern  the 
Church,  this  promise  of  our  Lord's  continual  as- 
sistance in  this  work  "  all  the  days,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world,"  implies  that  there  should  be  a 
perpetual  ministry  in  the  Church,  carrying  on  the 
appointed  work  and  enabled  by  our  Lord's  per- 
petual  presence.  A.gain  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  He 
is  the  author  of  Scripture,  after  having  given 
directions  about  the  ordination  and  regulation  of 
ministers,  charges  Timothy  that  this  command- 
ment be  kept  without  spot,-  unrbukeable,  until 
the  coming  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
This  shows  that  a  ministry,  by  which,  and  con- 
cerning which,  that  commandment  is  to  be  kept, 
shall  exist  in  the  Church  until  the  Lord  shall 
come.  Again,  to  pass  over  all  other  texts,  our 
Lord  predicts  that,  even  at  His  coming,  He  will 


10 


find  some  of  the  stewards  whom  He  had  set  over 
His  household,  to  give  them  their 
meat  in  due  season, — He  will  find  some 
of  these  so  doing,  and  reward  them  as  faithful 
and  wise  stewards.  These  Scriptures  make  it  cer- 
tain that  there  has  been,  is  now,  and  shall  be  until 
the  end,  a  ministry  in  the  Church  of  God. 

But  no  man  can  be  a  minister  of  Christ,  with- 
out authority  from  Him.     A  minister  is  not  sim- 
ply a  steward  set  over  the  household  of  God,  but 
a  steward  whom  his  Lord  has  made 
ruler  over  that  household.     No  man 
then  can  possibly  be  a  minister  of  Christ,  unless 
Christ  has  made  him  a  ruler  over  His 
household.      Again,  a  minister  is   an 
ambassador  for   Christ,   which  no   man   can   be 
without  authority  from  Him.     In  the  language  of 
Scripture,  to  preach  without  authority 
Rom&?5.14      fr°m  Christ  is  as  great  an  absurdity  as 
to  hear  what  has  not  been  preached,  or 
as  to  believe  what  has  not  been  heard.     In  fact, 
ministers  are  as  much  the  positive  institutions  of 
Christ  as  the  sacraments  are,  and  have  no  force 
or  efficacy  but  that  which  He  gives  them.    There- 
fore we  might  just  as  well  think  that  rites  or  cer- 
emonies, which  Christ  has  not  ordained,  are  truly 
sacraments,  as  to  think  that  persons  whom  He  has 
not  appointed  His  ambassadors  are  truly  His  minis- 
ters.    Without  authority  received  from  Christ,  no 
man  is,  nor  can  be,  His  minister. 

Now  it  is  certain,  I  do  not  mean  probable,  but 


11 


certain,  that  men  can  receive  authority  from 
Christ  in  but  two  ways  only.  Authority  can 
come  from  Him  either  directly  and  immediately ; 
or  else  it  may  be  derived  from  him  mediately,  that 
is  through  those  persons  to  whom  He  has  given 
authority,  and  whom  he  has  authorized  to  trans- 
mit it  to  others.  We  cannot  possibly  imagine 
any  other  way  in  which  authority  from  Christ  can 
come.  It  must  come  either  directly  from  His 
own  person,  or  from  Him,  through  the  persons  of 
others.  Let  us  consider  these  alternatives  in  order. 
When  a  man  claims  to  have  received  authority 
directly  from  Christ,  and  to  have  been  made  His 
minister  in  this  way,  he  either  has,  or  he  has  not, 
miraculous  proof  of  the  truth  of  that  which  he 
claims.  St.  Paul  claimed  to  have  been  made  an 
Apostle  in  this  way.  He  claimed  to 
be  an  Apostle  <(  not  of  man,  neither  by 
man,"  but  to  have  received  his  call  and  his  author- 
ity directly  from  our  Lord  Himself.  But  then 
he  has  miracles  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  claim. 
"  Truly  the  signs  of  an  Apostle  were 

2  Cor.  12  :  12. 

wrought  among  you  in  all  patience,  in 
signs  and  wonders  and  mighty  deeds."  The  Chris- 
tians at  Damascus  were  sufficiently  assured  that 
Christ  had  indeed  authorized  Saul  to  become  His 
minister,  not  only  by  the  light  and  the  voice  from 
heaven,  and  the  blindness  which  befell  him,  of 
which  things  there  were  other  witnesses  besides 
Saul,  but  also  by  the  revelation  to  Ananias  that 
Christ  had  chosen  Saul  to  bear  His  name  "  before 


12 


Gentiles  and  kings  and  the  children  of  Israel." 

See  how   clearly   his  appointment   to 

the  ministry  was  attested    before   he 

dared  even  to  preach  at  Damascus.     There  is  no 

evidence  that  he  dared  to  baptize  until  Barnabas 

had  brought  him   to   the  Apostles  at 

Acts  9  ■  27 

GaL  i :  is  &  19.  Jerusalem,  and  declared  the  miracu- 
'lous  proof  of  his  call  near  Damascus, 
and  then  he  was  permitted  by  Peter  and  James 
to  go  in  and  out  with  them,  and  to  preach  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Thus  the  authorities  of 
the  Church,  having  been  assured  by  miraculous 
proof  that  Jesus  had  appeared  unto  him  "  to 
make    him    a     minister,"     permitted 

Acts  26:16.        .  .         .  .         ,,  .  .     .    , 

him  to  exercise  this  ministry.  After- 
ward when  Paul,  whom  Christ  had  made  a  min- 
ister,  and     Barnabas,    whom    the    Apostles   had 

sent  to  regulate  the  Church  at  Anti- 

Act<*  14  ■  23 

och,  began  to  exercise  episcopal  func- 
tions among  the  Gentiles,  where  the  original 
Apostles  had  not  assigned  them  jurisdiction,  a 
revelation  was  made  to  St.  Paul  to  go  up  to.  Jeru- 
salem to  confer  with  the  Apostles,  for  Christ, 
having  given   them   authority  over  the  Church, 

would  not  slight  his  own  institution. 

Gal   2 

Without  the  full  sanction  of  the  origi- 
nal Apostles,  St.  Paul  had  run  or  would  run  in 

vain.  So  when  the  pillars  of  the 
Ga!S215'  Church  had  been  satisfied  concerning 

the  miracles  wrought  by  Barnabas 
and  Paul  among  the  Gentiles,   they,   seeing  the 


13 


grace  that  was  given  unto 'them,  assigned  to  them 
their  jurisdiction  among  the  Gentiles,  and  that  too 
on  certain  conditions.  Thus  we  see 
when  the  miraculous  proof  that  Christ 
has  made  a  man  His  minister,  or  wills  him  to 
have  a  certain  jurisdiction,  is  abundant  and  clear, 
even  jet  it  must  be  examined  and  approved  by  the 
pillars  of  the  Church ;  otherwise  such  a  man  will 
run  in  vain. 

But  there  are  many  who  claim  to  have  been 
made  ministers  directly  by  Christ,  by  a  secret  in- 
ward call,  without  any  palpable  miraculous  proof. 
Now,  I  do  not  mean  to  denounce  that  inward  long- 
ing to  labor  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edifica- 
tion of  the  Church,  that  laudable  de- 
sire of  the  office  of  a  bishop,  which,  even 
in  St.  Paul's  day,  had  become  a  proverb  in  the 
Church.  But  to  claim  to  have  received  such 
an  inward  call  as  makes  one  a  minister  of  Christ, 
when  there  is  no  palpable  miraculous  proof  of 
the  truth  of  it,  is  nothing  but  blind  fanaticism. 
For  such  a  call  must  mean  this,  that  the  Lord 
should  say  to  a  man,  li  I  do  now  make  thee  my 
minister."  Such  a  call  would  be  neither  more  nor 
less  than  a  revelation,   and  of  a  revelation  there 

can  be  no  proof  aside  from  a  miracle .  -    ■.  „ . 

x  With  this  para- 

There  WOuld  be  110  proof    which    QUffllt  graph  compare 
1     .  °        Mozlcy's      1st 

to  satisfy  the  person  in  question  him-  Lecture  on 

JMir3,clcs. 

self,  much  less  should  it  satisfy  others. 

It  is  true  that  the  idea  that  he  has  been  made  a 

minister,  by  a  call  from  Christ,  may  come  into  a 


14 


man's  mind.  But  the  idea  and  the  proof  that  it 
is  -a,  fact,  are  two  very  different  things.  All  a  man 
knows  is  that  such  an  idea  has  come  into  his  mind, 
as  a  thousand  other  ideas  have,  some  of  which  in- 
fluence him  much,  some  little ;  some  of  which 
prove  true,  and  some  of  which  prove  false.  The 
mere  fact  that  such  an  idea,  which  influences  him 
strongly,  has  come  into  his  mind  at  all,  may  in- 
duce an  enthusiastic  man  to  let  it  stand  for  its  own 
witness,  and  believe  it  as  a  fact  that  he  has  indeed 
thus  been  made  a  minister.  But  no  sober  man, 
who  is  governed  by  reason,  would  believe  it  with- 
out miraculous -proof.  What  an  absurd  pretense 
at  reasoning  this  would  be,  li  I  admit  that  a  hun- 
dred ideas  which  have  come  into  my  mind,  I  knoAV 
not  whence,  have  proved  to  be  false,  but  this  one 
came  into  my  mind,  I  know  not  whence,  therefore 
it  is  true."  There  can  be  no  sufficient  guarantee 
to  a  man  himself  that  he  has  been  made  a  minister 
by  an  inward  call,  until  he  has  palpable  miraculous 
proof  that  it  is  a  fact. 

If  this  cannot  be  known  to  a  man  himself,  much 
less  can  it  be  known  to  others,  without  a  miracle. 
For  supposing,  though  not  admitting,  that  I  had 
been  made  a  minister,  by  a  secret  inward  call,  with- 
out miracle,  how  could  others  know  this  ?  If  I  am 
an  impostor,  they  are  bound  to  reject  me.   ' '  Beware 

of  false  prophets.  "     If  I  am  indeed  a 
Matt.  10.  .    .        l     L       .  . 

minister  of  Christ,  to  receive  me  is  to 

receive  Him,  to  despise  me  is  to  despise  Him,  to 

reject  me  is  to  choose  a  lot  than  which  that  of  Sodom 


15 


and  Gomorrah  will  be  more  tolerable  in  the  day 
of  judgment.  Yet  without  a  miracle,  they  cannot 
know  certainly  the  truth  of  that  which  I  assert. 
No  one  man,  nor  company  of  men,  whether  clergy 
or  laity,  can  read  my  heart.  Even  an  inspired 
Apostle  said  "  What  man  knoweth  the  things  of  a 
man  save  the  spirit  of  a  man  which  is  in  him  ?  "  To 
suppose  that  I  am  thus  sent  is  to  suppose  the  in- 
credible folly  that  God  has  sent  me  as  His  ambas- 
sador, yet  without  credentials  ;  that  He  requires 
men  at  the  peril  of  their  souls  to  accept  me,  if  I  am 
truly  sent,  and  to  reject  me  if  I  am  not  thus  sent, 
when  they  cannot  possibly  know  whether  I  am 
truly  sent  or  not.  Whoever  asserts  such  a  thing 
as  this  does  both  sin  and  charge  God  foolishly. 
There  can  then  be  no  proof  that  Christ  has  directly 
made  a  man  His  minister,  unless  that  of  palpable 
miracles  approved  by  the  Church.     (Notes  A.  and 


Note  A. — There  are  some  who  think  that  St.  Paul's  injunction  to 
Timothy,  "  Make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry"  (2d  Tim.  4),  means  that  by 
the  success  of  his  ministry  it  would  be  known  whether  he  was  indeed  a 
minister  or  not.  The  Kevisers  have  swept  away  such  a  notion  by 
translating  the  passage  correctly,  "  fulfill  thy  ministry." 

Note  B.—  In  those  denominations  where  some  even  claim  to  have  been 
made  ministers  by  a  direct  call  from  Christ,  why  do  they  suffer  none  of 
them,  though  already  Christ's  ministers,  to  administer  sacraments  till 
ordained  ?  How  can  they  know  that  these  men  have  indeed  been  made 
ministers  by  the  Lord  ?  If  their  ordination  is  merely  a  certificate  from 
the  ministry  whereby  they  certify  to  the  people  that  Christ  has  already 
made  the  persons  ordained  His  ministers,  why  do  they  use  a  form  ? 

"  Take  thou  authority  for  the  office  and  work  of in  the 

Church  of  God  now  committed  unto  thee,"  (or  equivalent  words),  which 
implies  that  it  is  the  ordination  and  not  the  supposed  call  of  Christ  that 
commits  the  office,  that  is  that  makes  the  minister. 


16 


If  then  no  man  can  be  a  minister  of  Christ, 
without  authority  from  Him,  and  if  He  does  not 
give  authority  directly  and  immediately  to  men 
without  the  credential  of  miracles,  and  if  such 
ministers  are  not  now  to  be  found,  then,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  certain  that  there  is  still  a  true  ministry  in 
His  Church,  those  ministers  must  have  received 
their  authority  from  Christ  by  transmission. 

But  what  saith  the  Scripture  ?    Are  there  any 
commands  to  transmit  authority  or  instances  of 
such  transmission  in  the  New  Testament  ?   Titus 
was   commanded  to    ordain   elders   in 
every  city — and  thus  transmit  author- 
ity to  them.     The   seven   deacons  ministered   by 
authority  transmitted  from  Christ  by  the  twelve 
Apostles    to    them.      Authority    was 

Acts  14 

transmitted  by  Paul  and  Barnabas 
from  Christ  to  the  elders  ordained  in  Asia  Minor. 
Titus  and  Timothy  ministered  by  authority  trans- 
mitted from  Christ  by  St.  Paul  to  them.  The 
elders  ordained  by  these  had  authority  from  Christ, 
but  transmitted  first  by  St.  Paul  to  Titus  or 
Timothy,  and  then  from  one  of  these  to  them. 
Both  reason  and  Scripture  then  tell  us  that  au- 
thority can  be  transmitted. 

The  next  question  is,  "What  order  of  the  minis- 
try has  power  to  transmit  authority  to  other  men  ? 
A  moment's  reflection  will  show  that  to  have  au- 
thority, and  to  be  able  to  transmit  it,  are  two  very 
different  things.  A  judge  of  one  of  our  courts 
has  ample  authority,  but  he  cannot  transmit  it  to 


17 


others.  He  cannot  authorize  another  man  to  take 
his  place  on  the  bench,  and  to  perform  his  duties 
either  for  a  time  or  permanently.  He  cannot  ap- 
point other  judges.  Even  so  a  minister  may  have 
authority,  and  yet  not  be  able  to  transmit  it  to 
other  men.  It  is  a  very  material  question,  then, 
"What  order  of  the  ministry  has  authority  to 
transmit  authority  to  others?"  For,  even  if  I 
have  authority  from  Christ  Himself,  if  I  cannot 
transmit  it  to  others,  all  efforts  to  transmit  it 
would  be  futile  and  vain. 

Now,  it  is  so  generally  admitted,  that  in  the 
days  of  the  original  Apostles  there  were  three  or- 
ders of  the  ministry  :  first,  Apostles,  whom  we 
now  call  Bishops  ;  second,  Elders  or  Bishops, 
whom  Ave  now  call  Presbyters ;  and,  third,  Dea- 
cons, that  I  need  not  attempt  to  prove  what  is  so 
plain.  It  never  has  been  contended  by  any  body 
of  Christians  that  Deacons  can  transmit  authority 
to  other  men  ;  so  our  inquiry  is  narrowed  doAvn 
to  the  question  as  to  whether  it  is  Elders,  or  the 
higher  order  of  the  ministry,  that  is  authorized  by 
the  New  Testament  to  ordain  ministers,  thus 
transmitting  authority  to  them. 

Now,  the  case  stands  thus  :  There  is  not  one 
word  in  Holy  Scripture  of  command  or  permis- 
sion to  Elders  to  ordain  ;  there  is  not  one  clear 
example  of  such  an  ordination  (Note  C)  ;  there  is 

I  Tim.  4  :  14.  Note  C— Some  think  that  the  words  "  with  the  lay- 

ing on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery  "  denote  that 
Timothy  was  ordained  by  presbyters.     Calvin  and  others  thought  it 


18 


not  one  known  example  of  such  a  claim  made  in 
the  early  Church  among  those  who  knew  what  the 
Apostles  taught;  there  was  not  one  such  claim 
made  for  three  centuries,  and  then  only  to  be  dis- 
allowed and  condemned.  There  is  not  one  Father 
who  asserts  that  such  ordination  was  allowed  in 
the  Church  in  his  time.  There  were  not  half  as 
many  instances  of  such  attempts  during  fifteen 
centuries  as  there  were  centuries  ;  and  then  al- 
ways condemned  and  disallowed,  save  only  in  one 
instance,  where  it  was  instigated  by  a  Pope,  at  the 
end  of  the  thirteenth  century.  (See  Note  D.)  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Apostles  were  set  over  both 
Churches  and  Elders,  with  power  to  ordain.  St. 
Paul  set  Titus  and  Timothy  over  Churches  and 
Elders,  with  power  to  ordain.  Over  each  of  the 
seven  Churches  of  Asia  there  was  one  man  with 
power  to  coerce  teachers.  Uniformly  in  the 
Church,  for  fifteen  centuries  (except  the  attempts 
above  mentioned),  Bishops,  who  were  superior  to 
Elders,  were  allowed  to  ordain.  Add  to  this  that 
it  is  so  still  in  every  Church  where  the  existing 

meant  "  when  Timothy  received  the  office  of  Presbyter."    At  any  rate, 
St.  Paul  does  not  say  Timothy  received  the  gift  by  the  laying  on  of  the 

hands  of  the  presbytery,  but  with  it ;  but  he  does  say 
2  Tim.  1  :  G.        that  Timothy  received  the  gift  ';  by  the  putting  on  of  my 

hands."  At  the  ordination  of  a  Presbyter  among  us, 
Presbyters  lay  on  hands  with  the  Bishop  (after  the  example  of  St.  Paul). 
The  person  ordained  receives  the  office  by  the  laying  on  of  the  Bishop's 
hands,  but  with  (at  the  time  of)  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  con- 
senting presbyters. 

Note  D.— Celestine  V.  empowered  Francis  of  Apt,  a  Franciscan  friar, 
to  confer  priest's  orders  on  Ludovico,  son  of  Charles,  King  of  Sicily. 
See  article  "Celestine  V."  in  Encyclopaedia  Britannica. 


19 


order  was  not  changed  at  the  Reformation ;  and 
that  when  ordination  by  Elders  was  first  intro- 
duced by  Continental  Protestants,  they  did  not 
claim  that  it  was  warranted  by  Scripture,  but  only 
by  necessity.  Now,  let  us  remember  that  the 
plea  of  necessity  has  never  been  allowed  by  God 
for  interfering  with  His  ministry.  When  Saul, 
unable  to  procure  an  authorized  minister,  offered 
sacrifice  and  pleaded  necessity,  God  rejected  him 
for  it.  "  Thou  hast  done  foolishly  ;  thou  hast  not 
kept  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  thy  God, 
which  lie  commanded  thee  ;  therefore  now  would 
the  Lord  have  established  thy  kingdom  over  Israel 
for  ever.  But  now  thy  kingdom  shall  not  con- 
tinue." Uzzah  thought  himself  warranted  by 
necessity  to  take  it  on  himself  to  execute  the 
office  of  a  Priest  and  touch  the  Ark  of  God,  but 
God  smote  him  for  his  error.  When  thus  we 
count  up  all  the  probabilities  on  the  one  side 
against  those  on  the  other,  which  are  really  few 
or  none,  it  is  certain  that  the  evidence  that  the 
highest  order  of  the  ministry  alone  had  authority 
to  ordain,  is  such  that  all  men  should  act  on  it. 
For  it  is  infallibly  certain  that  where  there  is 
great  probability  on  one  side,  against  less  on  the 
other,  we  are  bound  to  act  on  the  greater.  It  is 
on  such  probability  that  we  accept  the  canon 
of  rhe  New  Testament,  and  we  can  have  no  other 
proof  concerning  it.  Nay,  it  is  such  probability 
alone  that  we  have  of  the  truth  of  Christianity 
itself,  prior  to  that  experience  of  obedience,  to 


20 


which  it  is  promised  that  "if  any  man  shall  do 
His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine  whether  it 
be  of  God  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself."  It  is 
most  unreasonable  and  unscriptural,  then,  to  act 
on  any  other  belief  than  that  authority  to  ordain 
was  intrusted  to  an  order  of  ministers  superior  to 
the  Presbyters ;  to  an  order  then  called  Apostles, 
but  which  we  now  call  Bishops. 

Now,  as  authority  to  ordain  was  safely  transmit- 
ted by  St.  Paul  to  Titus  and  Timothy,  and,  no 
doubt,  by  the  other  Apostles  to  other  men,  so 
there  is  no  rational  doubt  that  it  has  been  handed 
down  safely  to  this  day.  Irenaeus  and  Tertullian 
are  witnesses  that  it  was  safely  transmitted  till 
their  day,  and  in  some  instances  they  mention 
the  succession  of  Bishops.  I  have  named  these 
two  contemporary  Fathers,  not  only  because  they 
lay  such  stress  on  that  transmission,  and  are  such 
emphatic  witnesses  that  it  had  been  safely  accom- 
plished until  their  day,  but  because  the  former 
knew  well  Polycarp,  who  had  been  made  Bishop 
by  St.  John,  and  so  could  know  certainly  the 
truth  of  what  he  asserted.  But  about  the  time  of 
these  Fathers  that  rule,  handed  down  to  us  in  the 
first  Apostolic  Canon,  seems  to  have  come  into 
universal  use,  which  requires  a  Bishop  to  be 
ordained  by  three,  or  at  least  two,  other  Bishops. 
About  a  century  and  a  quarter  later  this  rule  was 
made  stricter  by  the  Niceno  Council,  which  re- 
quired at  least  three  Bishops  to  ordain  another. 
When  we  remember  that  the  Church  in  every  age 


21 


has  been  as  careful  that  every  ordination  of  a 
Bishop  should  be  valid  as  she  is  now ;  when  we 
remember  that  such  ordinations  have  always  been 
public,  like  that  of  Timothy,  "in  the  midst  of 
many  witnesses  ;"  when  we  remember  that  no  one 
Bishop  of  any  one  of  the  prominent  sees  of 
Christendom  has  been  proved  not  to  have  been 
validly  ordained  ;  when  we  remember  that  if  any 
one  of  the  three  or  more  Bishops  who  ordain  is 
really  a  Bishop,  the  person  ordained  is  really  or- 
dained, and  when  we  remember  our  Lord's  prom- 
ise of  His  continual  presence  with  the  Apostles 
and  their  successors  all  the  days,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world,  what  is  wanting  to  a  reasonable 
conviction  that  our  Bishops  have  received  author- 
ity from  Christ,  transmitted  generation  after  gen- 
eration from  the  original  Apostles  ?  that,  like 
Titus  and  Timothy,  they  have  authority  not  only 
to  govern  Churches  in  the  name  of  Christ,  but  to 
choose  and  ordain  elders  in  every  city  ? 

I  will  now  much  more  briefly  touch  on  the  re- 
maining points.  The  call  to  the  ministry  as  well 
as  the  ordination  comes  through  the  Bishop.  Our 
Lord  called  unto  Him  whom  He  would,  and  then 
ordained  them,  or,  as  St.  Luke  expressed  it,  '•'  He 
called  unto  Him  His  disciples  and  of  them  He 
choose  twelve  ;  "  so  the  Holy  Apostles  chose  out 
and  called  fit  men  to  the  ministry.  Titus  and 
Timothy  were  not  directed  to  ordain  those  whom 
they  should  perceive  to  be  called,  but  they  were 
to  choose  out  and  call  the  best  men  in  the  Church 


22 


to  the  ministry.  Our  Article  expressly  teaches 
that  Bishops  have  power  to  call  as  well  as  to  or- 
dain. Whether  the  call  be  given  to  those  who 
would  not  otherwise  come  forward,  or  whether  it 
come  in  the  form  of  accepting  those  who,  desir- 
ing to  devote  themselves  to  the  ministry,  seek  a 
call,  in  both  cases  the  call  comes  from  the  Bishop. 
All  the  services  of  the  Church  are  constructed 
on  this  supposition.  In  the  prayers  for  Ember 
Weeks,  used  till  the  very  day  before  ordination, 
wTe  pray  that  the  Bishops  and  Pastors  of  Christ's 
flock  may  "  wisely  make  choice  of  fit  persons  to 
serve  in  the  sacred  ministry,"  and  those  to  be  or- 
dained are  spoken  of  as  those  "who  are  to  be 
called  to  any  office  and  administration "  in  the 
Church.  In  the  ordination  offices  it  is  only  after 
the  last  opportunity  for  objecting  to  the  ordina- 
tion has  passed,  that  in  the  collect  the  persons  are 
spoken  of  as  "now  called"  to  the  office  of  Dea- 
con or  Priest,  The  call  has  been  conditional  up 
to  that  time,  then  it  is  made  finally  obligatory. 

The  persons  to  bo  ordained  are  not  asked 
whether  they  think  themselves  called  to  the  min- 
istry. Before  the  Bishop  asks  them  any  questions 
at  all,  in  prayer  to  God  he  has  asserted  that  they 
are  called  to  the  ministry.  But  they  are  asked  as 
to  whether  they  think  in  their  hearts  that  they 
are  called  according  to  the  will  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  Canons  of  the  Church.  A  man 
cannot  but  know  whether  he  thinks  all  the  re- 
quirements of   the  Canons  have   been   complied 


23 


with.  But  the  other  part  of  the  question  is  very 
searching.  For  it  is  not  the  will  of  our  Lord  that 
men  enter  the  ministry  whose  motives  are  the 
love  of  filthy  lucre,  or  the  desire  of  the  praise  of 
men,  or  of  position  in  the  Church.  A  man  must 
be  conscious  that  his  motive  is  the  desire  to  pro- 
mote the  Glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the 
Church,  before  he  answer  that  question  affirma- 
tively. And  he  must  believe  that  on  the  condi- 
tions of  the  Gospel  he  is  entitled  to  salvation,  for 
it  is  not  the  will  of  our  Lord  that  His  ministers 
should  preach  an  unknown  God,  declaring  to 
others  Him  whom  they  know  not  themselves. 

Ordination  confers  the  office.  When  one  is  or- 
dained a  Priest  an  indelible  character  is  impressed 
upon  him,  a  Priest  he  will  be  until  death.  Hooker 
says,  "  suspensions  may  stop,  and  deg- 
radations utterly  cut  off  the  use  or 
exercise  of  power  (he  means  (  authority ')  before 
given,  but  voluntarily  it  is  not  in  the  power  of 
man  to  separate  and  pull  asunder,  what  God  by 
His  authority  coupleth."  A  man  ordained  Priest 
is  as  much  a  Priest  at  the  end  of  fifty  or  sixty 
years  as  he  was  the  day  he  was  ordained.  Even 
wickedness  does  not  take  away  his  office— as  our 
Lord  intimates.  He  is  still  a  steward,  though  a 
wicked  one,  and  shall  give  account,  not  only  as  a 
man,  but  as  a  minister,  and  if  found  unfaithful 
in  this  latter  capacity,  his  Lord  will  cut  him  asun- 
der and  appoint  him  his  portion  with  unbelievers. 
By  virtue  of  the  office,  all  things  absolutely  neces- 


<Z4: 


sary  to  the  salvation  of  others  have  their  validity. 
When  a  Priest  baptizes  a  child,  the  grace  of 
the  sacrament  does  not  depend  on  the  holi- 
ness of  the  Priest,  but  only,  as  far  as  he  is  con- 
cerned, on  his  office.  Whether  he  be  holy  or  not, 
when  it  is  baptized  it  is  regenerate.  So  when  he 
consecrates  the  Holy  Communion  there  is  no 
question  that  the  great  gift  will  be  there.  The 
Church  is  only  concerned  that  we  may  so  eat  the 
flesh  of  God's  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ  and  drink 
His  blood  that  our  sinful  bodies  may  be  made 
clean  by  His  Body,  and  our  souls  washed  through 
His  most  precious  Blood.  To  refer  for  a  mo- 
ment to  the  office  of  Bishop — in  the  ordination  of 
Priests  there  is  no  prayer  that  the  persons  to  be 
ordained  may  receive  the  office ;  there  are  hum- 
ble prayers  both  before  and  after  that  they  may 
use  it  well,  but  the  giving  office  does  not  depend 
on  the  goodness  or  the  prayers  of  the  Bishop,  but 
only  on  his  office  ;  by  virtue  of  it  the  Priesthood 
is  conferred.  The  Article  speaking  of  those  who 
minister  by  Christ's  commission  and  authority, 
says,  "  Neither  is  the  effect  of  Christ's  ordinance 
taken  away  by  their  wickedness,  nor  the  grace  of 
God's  gifts  diminished  from  such  as  by  faith,  and 
rightly,  do  receive  the  sacraments  ministered  unto 
them,  which  be  effectual,  because  of  Christ's  in- 
stitution and  promise,  although  they  be  minis- 
tered by  evil  men."     (Art.  26.) 

The  matter  of  Jurisdiction  may  be  briefly  ex- 
pressed.    Had  our  Lord  willed  that  the  Apostles 


25 


should  be  independent  of  each  other,  jurisdiction 
would  have  been  assigned  to  them  severally.  But 
He  gave  to  them  a  joint  jurisdiction,  to  convert, 
baptize,  and  rule  in  things  spiritual,  the  nations 
upon  earth.  From  the  nature  of  the  case,  it  being 
impossible  that  the  whole  college  of  Apostles 
should  be  together  in  every  place,  certain  locali- 
ties were  given  to  each,  for  the  purpose  of  ad- 
ministration. Thus  we  see  that  the  administration 
of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem  was  confided  to  St. 
James.  But  he  was  not  absolute  ruler  therein. 
He  was  governed  by  regulations  made  by  the 
college  of  Apostles  in  council,  and  also  liable  to  be 
called  to  account  by  them  for  mal-administration. 
So  it  is  with  the  Bishops,  their  successors.  The 
oft-quoted,  vilely  translated,  and  much  misunder- 
stood sentence  of  St.  Cyprian  sums  up  the  whole 
matter.  For  he  is  far  from  meaning  that  "  The 
Episcopate  is  one,  a  part  of  which  is  wholly  pos- 
sessed by  each,"  as  it  is  commonly  translated. 
But  in  clear-cut,  legal  phrase  he  expresses  that 
"  the  Bishops  are  joint-tenants  of  one  estate  a  part 
of  which  is  in  actual  possession  of  each."  He 
selected  the  most  exact  words  to  show  that  the  in- 
terests of  all  are  absolutely  equal,  their  title  abso- 
lutely one  and  the  same  ;  that  though  part  of  the 
estate  is  in  the  actual  possession  of  each,  the  others 
may  and  ought  to  call  those  who  administer  badly 
to  account  for  waste,  and  that  to  the  survivors  fall 
the  portion  of  any  one  at  his  death.  A  Bishop  is 
not  an  absolute  ruler  in  his  diocese  then,  but  sub- 


26 


ject  to  the  Canons  made  by  the  Episcopate  in 
general,  and  liable  to  be  called  to  account  for  in- 
juring the  Church.  Now  a  diocese  is  a  little  image 
of  the  universal  Church.  The  relation  of  Pres- 
byters to  each  other  is  on  a  small  scale  the  same 
as  that  of  Bishops  on  a  larger  scale.  A  Presbyter 
is  not  absolute  ruler  over  his  flock,  but  subject  to 
canons  made  by  the  other  Presbyters,  and  liable  to 
be  called  to  account  by  them.  For  it  is  a  duty  of 
a  Presbyter  to  care  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
diocese,  as  it  is  of  a  Bishop  for  that  of  the  whole 
Church.  The  relation  of  Presbyters  to  tjie  Bishop 
is  such  that  throughhim  they  receive  jurisdiction, 
with  him  they  make  canons,  and  not  without  him 
can  they  call  other  Presbyters  to  account.  He  is 
to  his  clergy  as  the  head  to  the  body.  For  a  Pres- 
byter to  act  against  his  Bishop,  is  the  absurdity  of 
a  member  of  the  body  to  act  against  its  head.  For 
a  Bishop  to  act  against  his  Presbyters,  is  the  ab- 
surdity of  a  head  acting  against  its  body. 

When  Ordination  and  Jurisdiction  have  been 
secured,  there  is  still  needed  Power  from  on  high. 
A  general  may  have  been  properly  commissioned 
and  assigned  to  subdue  a  hostile  nation,  but  what 
can  he  do  without  force.  So  without  power  from 
on  high  we  will  neither  be  the  instruments  of  con- 
verting men,  nor  of  strengthening  our  brethren.  It 
is  not  enough  that  the  gospel  be  preached,  it  is 
only  when  preached  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down 
from  Heaven,  that  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion.    We  are  made  to  share  in  our  Lord's  three- 


27 


fold  offices  of  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King.  As 
prophets  we  are  to  teach  His  people — 0  !  what 
need  of  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  enable  us 
to  know  what  we  should  teach.  As  Priests  we  are 
to  intercede  for  His  flock  and  bless  them ;  what 
need  of  the  grace  of  God  that  we  may  pray  accept- 
ably, and  that  our  benedictions  may  be  effective. 
As  sharers  in  the  Lord's  Kingly  power,  we  cannot  do 
without  the  help  of  the  Ever  Blessed  Spirit.  Our 
office  comes  from  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  but  to 
execute  it  well,  we  need  the  unction  of  the  Holy 
Spirit — even  as  our  Lord  Himself  was  anointed 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  power, 

Acts  10 

when  he  went  about  doing  good  and 
healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  devil.  Our 
office  remains  ever  the  same,  but  grace  to  admin- 
ister it  wanes  away  like  oil  in  the  lamp,  and  there- 
fore it  must  continually  be  renewed.  It  is  our 
comfort  that  sufficient  grace  to  execute  the  office 
is  pledged  to  us,  if  we  seek  for  it  by  humble  and 
continual  prayer.  When  we  pray  for  temporal 
things,  we  know  they  will  be  withheld  from  us,  if 
they  are  not  good  for  us.  But  as  for  the  grace 
and  power  to  administer  faithfully,  the  pledge  is 
sure,  "  Ask  and  it. shall  be  given  unto  you,  seek 
and  ye  shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened 
unto  you.  For  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth, 
and  he  that  seeketh  findeth,  and  to  him  that 
knocketh  it  shall  be  opened."  It  is  important  to 
remember  that  the  power  to  minister  effectively 
must  be  continually  renewed,  in  order  that  we  may 


understand  the  relation  between  work  and  prayer, 
in  the  things  of  our  ministry.  Take  for  example 
the  preparation  of  sermons.  To  preach  without 
study,  is  the  sin  of  presumption.  Such  is  the  need 
of  learning  and  study  that  God  supplied  the  place 
of  them  by  prophetic  gifts,  when  in  the  early 
Church,  learning  and  study  might  not  be  had. 
But  as  soon  as  the  time  and  opportunity  for  these 
came,  then  that  miraculous  manna  ceased.  Even 
Timothy,  having  time  for  it,  was  to  give  himself 
to  reading  first,  and  then  to  exhortation  and 
doctrine.  But  the  sermon  that  is  the  fruit  of  the 
most  diligent  study  cannot  convert  the  souls,  un- 
less the  Blessed  Spirit  opens  the  hearts  of  the 
hearers.  To  preach,  relying  on  human  study, 
without  prayer  for  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is 
practical  atheism.  But  by  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit, 
to  be  obtained  by  constant  prayer,  we  may  become 
sufficient  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  even  of 
that  Spirit  which  giveth  life. 


ADDRESS. 

And  now,  my  dear  brother,  in  accordance  with 
the  custom  of  the  Church,  it  is  my  duty  to  ad- 
dress you  personally.  I  have  reserved  for  this  ex- 
hortation the  consideration  of  the  motive  which 
will  impel  us  to  labor  as  faithful  ministers  of 
God.  That  motive  is  the  love  of  Jesus.  When 
our  Lord  gave  jurisdiction  to  His  Apostles,  when 


29 


He  sent  power  from  on  high  on  them,  these  gifts 
were  given  to  them  collectively.  In  our  jurisdic- 
tion, we  are  joint  partakers  of  one  gift;  the  power 
from  on  high  may  come  on  us  in  answer  to  united 
prayer.  But  the  motive  is  something  wholly  per- 
sonal. Therefore,  our  Lord  did  not  speak  to  His 
Apostles  collectively  about  this,  but,  singling  out 
one,  spoke  to  him  face  to  face,  as  I,  in  His  name, 
now  speak  to  you.  He  did  not  ask  him,  Art 
thou  wise  ?  art  thou  learned  ?  art  thou  eloquent  ? 
He  did  not  even  ask  him,  Art  thou  holy  ?  He 
does  not  now  call  him  Peter — a  name  which  He 
had  promised  that  he  should  have  when  he  became 
strong  in  the  grace  of  God — a  name  He  actually 
called  him  when  blessed  with  singular  grace.  He 
does  not  now  say,  "  Now  thou  art  Peter,"  but  ad- 
dresses him  still  as  Simon,  son  of  Jonas.  This  is 
as  if  He  said,  "  I  know  thy  faults  and  infirmities  ; 
I  know  much  of  thy  old  man  remains;  I  know 
how  much  more  thou  deservest  the  name  of  Simon, 
son  of  Jonas,  than  that  of  Peter."  "Simon,  son 
of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ? "  He  does  not:  ask 
him,  as  at  first,  Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  ? 
He  does  not  ask  now,  as  He  did  the  second  time, 
Lovest  thou  me  with  that  supreme  love  of  which 
God  is  more  than  worthy  ?  But  it  was  only  with 
regard  to  the  sincerity  of  his  love  that 

,-,        T        -.  ,.  t    i  •  ,(TT      See  the  Greek. 

the  Lord  now  questioned  him.     "He 
saith   unto   him   the   third  time,   Simon,  son  of 
Jonas,  Lovest  thou  me  ?     Peter  was  grieved,  be- 
cause He  said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest 


30 


thou  me  ?  And  he  said  unto  Him,  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  all  thi-ngs ;  Thou  knowest  that  I  love 
Thee.     Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep." 

I  need  not  speak  to  yon,  my  brother,  to  warn 
you  against  laboring  in  the  ministry  from  such 
contemptible  motives  as  the  love  of  filthy  lucre,  or 
of  the  praise  of  men,  or  of  ambition  of  eminence 
in  the  Church.  But  there  are  other  motives,  and 
noble  ones  too,  that  will  not  suffice ;  nothing  will 
suffice  but  the  love  of  Jesus. 

Philanthropy  will  not  suffice.  If  you  labor  from 
the  love  of  men  only,  when  your  labors  are  met 
with  ingratitude,  when  your  best  offices  are  re- 
fused, when  you  see  so  many  things  failing  that 
deserve  to  succeed,  so  much  succeeding  that  de- 
serves to  fail,  you  will  grow  weary  in  well-doing, 
if  yon  do  not  give  up  in  disgust.  Your  heart  will 
break,  my  brother,  under  the  burden  of  the  min- 
istry, unless  you  are  sustained  by  the  love  of 
Jesus.  Amid  the  failures  and  disappointments 
which  will  come,  if  you  labor  only  from  the  love 
of  men,  you  will  become  like  the  prophet  when  he 
made  intercession  against  Israel,  "  Lord,  they 
have  digged  down  thy  altars,  and  slain  thy 
prophets,  and  I,  even  I,  only  am  left,  and  they 
seek  my  life  to  take  it  away."  Or,  if  you  be  not 
driven  thus  far,  you  will  at  least  become  like  the 
same  prophet  when  he  lay  down  under  a  juniper- 
tree  and  "  requested  for  himself  that  he  might  die  ; 
and  said,  It  is  enough  now,  0  Lord  ;  take  away 
my  life,  for  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers." 


31 


As  the  love  of  man  will  not  suffice,  neither  will 
the  sense  of  duty.  We  can  subject  our  whole 
bodies  and  minds  to  the  sense  of  duty,  but  it  can- 
not control  our  affections,  our  hearts.  When  you 
preach  Christ  to  man  it  is  not  enough  to  speak 
face  to  face,  or  intellect  to  intellect,  but  heart 
must  speak  to  heart.  The  sense  of  duty  will  not 
suffice.  Little  would  it  avail  to  have  a  tongue  of 
fire  without  a  heart  of  love  to  "  preach  the  recon- 
ciling word."  I  have  seen  a  ship  lying  on  the 
sand  that  a  thousand  men  could  not  move,  and 
yet  when  the  water  came  up  round  it  one  man 
could  move  it.  So  the  love  of  Jesus  makes  easy  to 
us  what  would  otherwise  be  too  hard.  The  sore 
burden  that  is  too  heavy  to  bear  when  we  are 
moved  only  by  sense  of  duty,  when  we  are  moved 
by  the  love  of  Jesus  becomes  a  yoke  that  is  easy, 
a  burden  that  is  light. 

The  love  of  Jesus,  then,  must  bo  our  motive. 
It  is  of  God's  infinite  mercy  that  our  personal  life 
and  our  ministerial  life  are  concentric.  The  chief 
thing  in  personal  religion  is  love  of  Jesus;  the 
chief  thing  in  our  ministry  is  love  of  Jesus  too. 
Our  efforts  then  are  not  divided  between  two 
things,  but  concentrated  on  one.  Therefore,  a 
minister's  first  duty  is  the  care  of  his  own  soul ; 
it  is  to  see  that  the  love  of  Jesus  burns  there. 
So,  in  St.  Paul's  exhortations,  a  minister's  first 
duty  is  always,  "  take  heed  to. thyself."  Ever  re- 
member this,  for  we  are  so  apt  to  think  that  dili- 
gence in  study,  or  in  preaching,  or  other  labors, 


32 


can  atone  for  some  remissness  with  regard,  to  our- 
selves. But  it  is  not  true  ;  to  love  Jesus  is  a 
higher  duty  than  to  feed  the  Church  of  God, 
which  He  has  purchased  with  His  own  blood. 
The  first  thing  is  the  question,  Lovest  thou  me  ? 
and  afterward  the  charge,  Feed  my  sheep. 

The  most  successful  ministers  have  been  those 
in  whom  the  love  of  Jesus  was  the  ruling  motive. 
Who  was  more  blessed  in  his  labors  than  St. 
Paul  ?  His  motive  was  this  :  "  The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us."  Among  modern  missionaries 
the  one  that  was  perhaps  most  successful — I  mean 
St.  Francis  Xavier — was  one  within  whom  there 
burned  intensely  the  love  of  Christ.  You  may 
learn  it,  my  brother,  where  these  and  all  other 
saints  have  learned  it — at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 
There  each  of  us  may  learn  for  himself  to  feel  and 
to  say,  "The  Son  of  God  loved  me  and  gave  Him- 
self for  me." 

The  love  of  Jesus  can  make  you  diligently  feed 
His  sheep,  rejoicing  to  spend  and  be  spent  for 
them.  The  love  of  Jesus  can  enable  you  to  bear 
patiently  a  priest's  heavy  daily  cross.  And,  if 
need  be,  the  love  of  Jesus  can  make  sweet  for  you 
that  death  whereby  you  may  glorify  God. 

And  now,  unto  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son, 
and  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  ascribed  all  might, 
majesty,  dominion,  and  power,  world  without 
end.     Amen. 


Gaylord  Bros. 
Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
PAT.  JAN.  21, 1908 


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